It was a rollercoaster ride of a year for Crikey and we couldn’t have constantly delivered such a diverse selection of news, opinion and analysis without our loyal supporters.
Here are some of the stories I was proud to edit and publish in 2023.
Far-right infiltration of the mainstream
Associate editor Cam Wilson wrote a damning investigative series into the Daily Mail and the Spectator, in which he revealed the identities of far-right individuals who have sought to normalise their extreme and bigoted ideas by writing for mainstream Australian media outlets. Using his journalistic nous, Wilson provided a masterclass in how to report on hateful ideology — not piddling around in the fringe corners of the internet but prioritising the exposure of where and how it has infiltrated institutions of influence.
Grace Tame excoriates News Corp
Activist and advocate Grace Tame gave us a searing essay on what it feels like to be the subject of News Corp coverage. The piece by the 2021 Australian of the Year was our final instalment in The Murdoch Century, Crikey’s examination of the legacy of the company inherited by Rupert Murdoch. Australian media has long failed survivors of sexual harassment and abuse, with a shameful history of victim-blaming headlines, a failure to provide appropriate context in court reports and a perpetuation of myths about what allows sexual violence to continue in our communities. Crikey readers were astonished to revisit the words on the front pages at a time when, as Tame writes, she was just “an anonymous child in the raw stages of trauma”.
Politics according to Keane
Bernard Keane, Crikey‘s political editor, provided a reflection on the year that was in politics. It is easy to forget just how prolific Keane really is, producing at least two almost word-perfect pieces of analysis a day (I barely have to touch them.) In this piece, he considers whether what is broken can ever be repaired and if good government is good enough at a point in history that demands political bravery.
A polite, peculiar request from Gina Rinehart
Tips and Murmurs editor Charlie Lewis brought us this cheeky piece on a peculiar email we received from Hancock Prospecting. As far as newsrooms go, Crikey is mercifully insulated from the self-seriousness that afflicts much of our industry, which means when we get an email from Gina Rinehart’s multibillion-dollar company asking for a print of one of our designs featuring her with Tony Abbott and John Howard, we can have a bit of fun with it. It is a joy to publish tidbits like this that make you chuckle.
Testimony from the Gaza frontline
In late October, while Israel bombarded Gaza and killed thousands of civilians, doctors were already calling for a ceasefire as medical infrastructure and supplies disappeared. Palliative care practitioners Rachel Coghlan and Mhoira Leng and their colleague Hammam Alloh described the situation for Crikey. The piece included harrowing testimony about the reality of trying to treat patients while under bombardment, especially from Alloh, who was later killed in his home by an Israeli airstrike.
Hearing the Voice
In the lead-up to the October referendum on a Voice to Parliament, Crikey published a range of perspectives from Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers on how they were planning to vote and why. One of my favourites was from Arrernte writer Celeste Liddle, then an undecided voter, imploring the Australian public to cast votes according to knowledge, rather than half-truths and apathy.
One night in Alice Springs
Former Northern Territory correspondent Julia Bergin wrote this piece in which she tagged along to a night patrol in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) with Traditional Owners who said they were tired of non-local troublemakers coming into town and putting their people, culture and Country to shame. It is a great insight into community sentiment at a time when internationally the town had garnered media attention and domestically politicians flew in to use Alice Springs as a case study for increased law and order, alcohol bans and Yes and No campaigns for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Bad connections
Something Crikey does well is documenting the ways powerful people and institutions are connected, from the troubling to the quirky. This piece from our political reporter Anton Nilsson showed how you could easily work out the names of which nations had been de-identified by ICAC — at DFAT’s request, curiously — in the commission’s report on the “corrupt conduct” of Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire.
The power of press freedom
Another highlight was our news team’s REDACTED series, showcasing how journalists, politicians and citizens use freedom of information requests to bring you important stories and hold the government to account, even in the face of delays, redactions and rejections. It was a crucial year for press freedom, and I was proud to publish this eight-part look into how this broken system is hampering transparency — and why the dysfunction became the subject of a Senate inquiry.
Thank you for your support
Speaking of freedom of the press, for my final pick we return to Keane but really to you, our readers, in a piece that embodies the ethos of Crikey as a community-supported independent outlet. Throughout our defamation battle against billionaire Lachlan Murdoch, you stood by our side using your voices and, in some cases, your piggy banks to pledge your support. When Murdoch abandoned his case we were thrilled to donate more than half a million dollars raised for our legal fund to support press freedom. We don’t take your support for granted, and we can’t wait to bring you another year of smart, challenging, irreverent and important writing and reporting.
